North Dakota

Some of America's greatest stories and legends happened in North Dakota. Paul Bunyan, according to legend, logged North Dakota clear of pine trees. Lewis and Clark traveled across North Dakota on their search for the Northwest Passage. Sitting Bull was born and died in North Dakota. From Fort Lincoln (located in Bismarck), General George Custer led his Cavalry to its final fate at Little Big Horn. The state is also the birthplace of Louis L'Amour, one of America's most popular authors.

Big open sky, rolling plains, escarpments, moraines, and the Badlands make North Dakota a landscape photographer's dream. A person can see why President Theodore Roosevelt fell in love with the state.

North Dakota is also the location of one half (the other half is in Manitoba) of a 2,300-acre (930-hectare) park, which is called the International Peace Garden and is full of forests and flowers. The park celebrates the peace that has exists between Canada and the US, which share the longest unfortified border in the world.

North Dakota is home to Scandinavians, Germans from Russia, Ukrainians, and Icelandic immigrants. North Dakota's first people comprised several tribes that are now represented on seven Indian Reservations.

North Dakotans are some of the nation's most avid golfers and the state has one of the highest numbers of golf courses per capital in the US. You can find a course almost anywhere, on any type of terrain, and the green fees are always reasonable. North Dakotans are also avid cyclists – long rides out on scenic highways are a great way to see the state. If you are looking for more excitement, a ride through the Badlands or down one of the escarpments ought to take care of it. In winter, the locals settle for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and skating.

North Dakota also has a rich Native American culture and heritage, and one of the best ways to experience this culture is to go to a Pow Wow. These rituals were originally held in the spring to celebrate the rebirth of life. In the Sioux tradition, a Pow Wow was a prayer to the Great Spirit. The largest Pow Wow in America takes place in Bismarck, North Dakota's capital city. (Bismarck has a casino, a world-class art gallery, North Dakota's largest zoo, a science center and a water park. Travel to and from Bismarck is easy with its international airport.)

North Dakota's largest city is Fargo, with a population of only 90,599. Fargo has all the amenities of a larger town: a symphony orchestra, a minor league baseball team (the RedHawks), and several art museums. The city is right on the Minnesota/North Dakota border and was made world famous (or possibly infamous) by the 1996 movie by Joel and Ethan Coen.

Grand Forks is the third largest city and is the home of the North Dakota Museum of Art and several other galleries, a ballet company, and a symphony orchestra and more than five golf courses. The city is also on the North Dakota/Minnesota border, located on the Red River.

If you like wide-open spaces and history everywhere you look, North Dakota is for you.

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